Are your buddies going to help eat those cookies? ;)I used to have a pile of cute toys, but just one thing too much to carry on one of my cross country moves (that one was by bus, so pretty light!), left them with my nephews...lol

How'd you make those nifty two colored Spritz cookies? My recipe spreads so much I'm not sure I could do it but they look really cool. You do use real butter in them don't you? A butter cookie without butter is an oxymoron.

Not sure what Spritz cookies are, but those cookies look almost too decorative and horticulturally-inspired to eat. I once had a collection of "bendy" figures; I spy some Bugs Bunny and friends, and is that Mr. Bill? Oh no! Watch out for Sluggo.

Regarding the Spritz cookies, yes, I always use real butter. If they spread too much in the oven, you can add a little extra flower flour (what was I thinking?) to stiffen it a bit. If you think you are adding so much as to change the taste of the spritz, add some sugar along with.

Of course, you can use any of the cookie designs, but if you want good symmetrically colored cookies, the six section "star" is the only one that works. Even using the eight section one results in too much uneven coloring in the final cookies.

The trick is in loading the cookie press. You will be stacking balls of individually colored dough directly on top of each other. Make sure the balls are centered in the cylinder, or asymmetrically colored cookies will result. (If the dough is so soft that you can't roll it in your hands, then it is way too soft.)

First, put in a colored ball about the width of the replaceable spritz design. Smash it lightly with the bottom of a glass. The dough will not touch the sides.

Second, roll a ball of uncolored dough, the width of the cookie press cylinder, so that it just fits inside. Lightly press again.

Your third ball will be colored again, and probably a little larger than the first. Then lightly press. Fill the rest of the press with uncolored dough, rolling it into a ball before inserting.

If the second ball too small, the first and third ball colors will run together. Red and green do make a purple, but it's not a very pleasing color.

The hard part is done, and all you need to do now is press the cookies onto the cookie sheets, just like normal. No need to sprinkle with candies: they're already decorated!

Once you know the method, I really don't see the difficulty, but I have two sisters that can't seem to master it. Both are good cooks and bakers. In fact, one asked me to send her some (to Arizona), and said she would even pay for them!

I do fancy myself a very good cookie maker. When I grew up, I made a batch of cookies nearly every week. With six kids in the family, we never had too many.

Well, I'm really here to pass on the good wishes of Ian and myself to all our NARGS friends ..... but what a wonderful diversion has been provided by Rick's cookie recipe :DIn the SRGC forum, food is very nearly as important as plants, so I've posted a link there to Rick's recipe ;D

Back to the happy holiday theme....... here's a bonsai Tsuga, decorated with cotoneaster berries.... doing it's best to be a christmas tree.... wishing you all a wonderful time over the holiday season and hoping for health and happiness in 2012!

Ian and Maggie, I love your Christmas tree! Rick - the cookies look fabulous, & natch, Saori, love your pooch, I want one like that! ( really, I'm looking ) Cohen - you have more snow than we do, is it about ready to melt out your way? I see the forecast for Stettler is 5 deg. or so for tomorrow, unless it changes of course. I wouldn't mind a bit more snow. Now that I say that, we'll probably be snowed in next week....Have a great Holiday everyone!